Ever, Ever After
by trendyfishie89
Summary: Handsome knights, clumsy kings, cute princes, evil "damsels" and danger at every turn. The ultimate fairytale! SLASH SB/RL
1. Journey

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Dedicated to and for my oh-so-wonderful beta!

Ever, Ever After: Journey

"Once upon a time, there lived a very handsome knight."

"Oh, please."

"He lived in a very nice manor and had everything he could ever want. He was very spoiled and proud of it."

"You're telling me."

"The knight's name was Sirius and his greatest wish was to become the grandest of all knights. But no one believed in him and that made Sirius very sad."

"What a ham."

"Sirius decided that to prove himself he would journey far and wide to seek out the wisest of all men, Albus Dumbledore."

/pgbrk/

Sirius Black cursed as he stumbled over another rock. Why did cliffs have to be so rocky? Of course, if they weren't rocky, they probably weren't cliffs. He kicked the offending rock aside and continued up the steep mountain. Dumbledore just had to build his home on top of a bloody mountain, didn't he? It would've been far too easy to build it on, say _flat land_!

As the cabin came staggering into view Sirius gave a sigh of relief, maybe he could finally rest. Six months of constant traveling was bound to make anyone exhausted. Sirius pounded on the door, staying close to the wall so as to avoid the noon sun.

An old man peered around the cracked door, a twinkle in his eyes and on his vibrant robes.

"Are you Albus Dumbledore?"

"Come in, Sirius Black, son of Orion. Sit and let us have a little chat."

Sirius stepped inside the doorway, a little wary that Dumbledore knew who he was already. Everyone claimed that Dumbledore was one of the greatest warriors of all time, having defeated Evil Overlords and dragons alike. Nobody deemed fit to mention that he was out of his mind. The front room was decorated with huge tomes and pounds of dust. There were knick-knacks here and there. A telescope was busy balancing a china teapot and a Petri dish of frogspawn. The whole house was a mish mash of books and whatchamacallits.

Sirius perched on the purple velvet cinch armchair, sipping tea out of a delicate pink floral teacup. He felt rather ridiculous, but didn't think it was his place to put such a grand warrior into a tizzy over a measly teacup.

"So, you are here to ask me to train you. You want to become the greatest warrior of all time, proving to your unbelieving family that you are worth something. How am I doing so far?" asked Dumbledore, eyes twinkling up a storm.

Sirius nodded; jaw slack, unable to say anything. Dumbledore grinned and sat back against his chair, stirring four teaspoons of sugar into the already sweet tea. Disgusting.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that you traveled here for nothing. I do not train knights any longer, I am far too old for such things."

"That's rubbish! You're the greatest warrior; everyone says so! Please train me! I promise to learn quickly and efficiently!"

"I'm sorry Sirius, the greatest warriors have to learn themselves before learning from another. Maybe in a couple of years, once your sense of self settles out. You are but sixteen, Sirius, do not expect miracles on the first try."

Sirius pouted, disappointed. He was sure that Dumbledore would agree to train him. He was a Black! He had money, prestige, good looks, and great hair! How could Dumbledore refuse?

"However, you might be of some use to me. I am in the need of a helper around here. It gets very lonesome and I am not a spry as I used to be."

Sirius nodded slowly, unsure of where Dumbledore was going with this. Dumbledore nodded and steepled his long fingers.

"Yes, I may have some use for you after all. Perhaps, young Black, after you have helped me I might be inclined to help you. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes, sir! Of course."

"Good, it's settled then. First, I will require some spring water for my oils. Only the water from the spring in the valley will do; it has the clearest of all waters."

"Um, alright."

"I will need twelve bucketfuls. There are two buckets outside the front door. Now then, how many trips will it take for you to bring twelve bucketfuls to me if you have two buckets?"

"Uh," Sirius stammered, he had never been good at numbers.

"Six. It will take you six trips. Remember and learn. Now, go on."

Sirius stepped outside the house once more. He looked down at the two rather bedraggled looking buckets and sighed. This was going to take forever.

/pgbrk/

Twenty-four-year old Sirius stood at the edge of the rocky precipice and looked down upon the two-dozen soldiers climbing up it. He smirked at the pathetic way they were huffing and puffing. They claimed to be soldiers yet they could barely climb one teensy weensy mountain face. He had been climbing this mountain for eight years and hadn't had nearly this many problems.

"Are you…Sirius…of the House of…Black?" panted one of the soldiers, looking up at Sirius.

"I am. Who are you?"

"I am Sir Thylios of Maerna, warrior to the crown of Gryffindor. King James XVIII requests your presence at once, we are here to escort you."

"And how does his Highness know who I am?"

"Sir Albus Dumbledore sent him a missive, sir."

"He did, did he?" Sirius muttered, glaring at the house behind him, "Meddlesome old fool."

"Very well. Let me throw some belongings together. How do you propose I get there? I have no horse of my own."

"We have one waiting for you at the bottom of the hill."

"Oh." said Sirius, turning to go into the house.

The two-dozen soldiers turned into three at the bottom of the cliff and they, plus Sirius and Dumbledore, set off to the Kingdom of Gryffindor. The journey took six months because winter was much worse in No Man's Land and they had to bunk down. Sirius wondered how long ago Dumbledore had sent that letter.

They reached Gryffindor six months to the day the left, reaching the castle at sunset. It was a magnificent sight. It's twisting turrets and sweeping balconies balanced the other perfectly. The white marble was sparkling in the evening sun and the stained glass the littered the arched windows glittered. Sirius didn't think he had ever seen such wonderful artistry.

They met King James XVIII in the throne room. He sat on a dark oak throne enrobed in crushed velvet and golden etching. The startling thing about James was that he was Sirius's age! How odd, you didn't usually see kings this young. Sirius wondered what had happened to the previous king.

"Welcome, Sirius of the House of Black, may you prosper."

"Thank you, your majesty." replied Sirius, bowing low.

"Good, introductions are out of the way. Now we can stop with all this royal shit. Annoys the hell out of me, you know." Sirius and James grinned at the other, finding an immediate friend. Dumbledore smiled behind his beard and twined his fingers together.

"Let us retire to my 'study' and we can discuss why you're here."

The three men wandered down twisting cream hallways, the architecture almost Elvin in appearance. They reached a large door and entered, leaving the two guards posted outside.

"It has come to my attention," James started, pouring each man a glass of mead, "that there is some unrest in Slytherin. I was wondering if you had heard anything of the sort. You are quite notorious for being born there, you realize."

"No, I hadn't realized that my heritage was any part of this discussion." Sirius replied coldly. James waved his hands, attempting to placate the volatile man.

"No, of course not! I was just wondering if you had heard anything. Although, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing some 'scouting' for me."

"So, you want me to spy for you?"

"Ah, in a sense. I'd like to have an extra ear out. You can't be too careful these days, especially now…"

Sirius waited for James to elaborate, but nothing came. He sighed and pondered the idea. He didn't know if he wanted to spy on his home country. It wasn't that he had any particular liking for it, but it was considered treason and traitors were not dealt with politely in any country.

"I, of course, would be willing to take you under my flag so that any treason would not fall onto your own head. Protection will be provided in any case."

That did change things. With a flag to fall under, a king could attempt a negotiation for any knight captured on his command. It would be nice to be the knight he had always wanted to be.

"What's in it for me?"

"Well, you'll be made a true knight. You'll fly under my banner and answer to Gryffindor. If there's a war you'll have to answer the call, but any and all compensations will be made to an heir of your choice. You will receive a room here in the knight's corridors or a cottage, whatever you wish. Free food and entertainment?"

Sirius laughed, "I'll do it."

After settling all of the pertinent details out, Sirius and Dumbledore were directed to their rooms; Dumbledore in a guest room and Sirius down to his new quarters. They parted ways with a final bow of wisdom.

"Sirius, do not forget that a warrior is only as strong as he believes he is." Sirius smiled and gave his foolish mentor a hug.

"Thank you, I think. At least you won't get to go all 'Confucius say' on me anymore."

Sirius wandered down to the Knight's mess hall slowly. He wanted to get his full bearings in this new place. He turned when he heard an excited giggle come from his left, smiling down at the small child who ran into his calves.

Sirius knew then why James had been so worried over the prospect of war. The little boy at his feet told all the answers. The green-eyed cherub grinned up at Sirius and babbled excitedly. Sirius leant down and picked the baby up, plopping him on a hip. The babbling continued and he heard a woman's laugh coming from ahead.

"I'm sorry about him, he gets excited when he meets new people." said the rather stunning woman. She had gorgeous red hair and the same eyes as the baby in his arms. Queen Lily, then.

"That's okay, he's cute. How old?" Sirius asked, bouncing the cherub up and down. The small noises that accompanied it were adorable.

"Two. He's getting so big."

"They tend to do that if you feed them. What's his name?"

"Harry. He was named for his grandfather, King Harold." Lily laughed as Harry reached out and grabbed a lock of his mother's hair.

"Ma." Sirius handed Harry to his mother. The baby gave Sirius a last look and waved as they walked away.

"Buh-bye."

Sirius waved back and continued on to his newest destiny.

/page break/

"You didn't tell me about any trials! What do you mean by this?" yelled Sirius. James cowered in his chair, attempting nonchalance. Lily shook her head and gave James her best 'I told you so' look.

"It's relatively harmless. All you have to do is travel around, battle some evil and bring back proof. Then we can induct you. It's easy; I went through it. It only takes a year or so. Maybe longer, it just depends!" James screeched like a five-year-old girl and ran behind a chair as Sirius came after him, king or not.

"By the gods, if you weren't royalty I would hurt you. You realize this, right?"

"Yes?"

"Good. Now, how am I supposed to get around?"

"You'll be supplied with a horse and some weaponry. There are houses around Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw that will house you while you travel. It's easy, as long as you don't get eaten. Which isn't likely!"

Lily sighed as Sirius chased James from the room. Both were laughing like maniacs and waving their arms at each other. Lily looked down at her baby and grinned.

"Your papa and his friend are silly. I'm so glad you're smart like me." Harry gave her a gummy smile and chewed on his stuffed teddy bear.

/page break/

"And so the brave knight set out upon his knightly quest to tackle his twelve God given trials. Many horrible things waited for him to slay and maybe a very special damsel, waiting for him to sweep her off of her feet."

"I think I'm going to be sick."

A/N: Finis! Hope you liked it!


	2. Trials

Standard Disclaimer Applies!

You will notice several lines from various movies and other sources belong to the original owners, not me.

For my beta, without whom I would not be able to post without tremendous shame.

Ever, Ever After: Trials

"Sirius traveled near and far to seek his many trials. He battled several dragons, beheaded many Dark Knights, and swam across a spirit moat. He had found and accomplished eight of his twelve trials before he ran into something he would never be able to defeat. Love."

"Dear Merlin, strike me down now."

/page break/

Sirius stumbled behind a rather industrial shrubbery and watched the peculiar situation before him. A rather old and smelly Mountain Dwarf had a hold on a blood red velvet cloak. What the dwarf was doing next to a rivery bog was beyond him, most didn't leave their caves. However, the rather fetching person beneath the cloak may have had something to do with it. What Sirius had originally presumed to be a damsel in distress was actually a rather hot tempered male. Emphasis on the hot part. Sirius had never seen such a glorious male specimen and he had seen quite a few in the four years he'd been traveling.

The male gave a sudden yank and managed to be released, only to be grabbed by the knee cap. The dwarf leapt forward, clearly intending to bring the young man down. Sirius leapt into action, diving into the two man fray and swinging his sword at the dwarf. He gave a rather dangerous jab and sent it scampering back to its rocky home. He turned to give the male damsel a grin and knocked him straight into the muddy riverbank.

Sirius grimaced at the coughing and spluttering, creeping forward to assist the golden haired male. "Sorry, that was rather dim of me."

"Yeah." came the abrupt reply, a glare matching the frosty smile. The young man stood stiffly, brushing off dead leaves, muck, and other assorted nasties. Sirius reached forward to pull a rather large and soggy leaf from the male's hair, earning himself a startled look.

"I'm really sorry about this. I tend to act before I think it through. What did that thing want anyways?"

"A trophy. Now, if you don't mind I think I'll leave before your foolishness gets me killed."

"Uh, wait!" The man turned slowly, disbelief etched all over his face.

"Yes?"

"What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because. I'm Sirius of the House of Black."

"You are?" the man's smile returned and his eyes brightened.

"Yes, but I fly under the Gryffindor flag for King James. Now, might I know your name?"

"I'm Remus. I have no House to speak of. So, what's a big, strong knight like you doing in a place like this?" Remus sauntered up to Sirius, a lecherous grin on his lovely face.

"Uh, uh, uh…um…I, uh." Sirius felt like his brain was melting and trickling out of his ears. The warm hands that were placed upon his insignia made him burn something terrible.

"Are you…always this articulate?"

"Yes?"

"Is that a question or an answer?" Remus's long fingers played with the strings that kept his cloak attached to his lightweight breastplate.

"Yes?"

Remus gave an airy chuckle that matched his golden eyes. The hands moved up to his shoulders and down his arms, coming to a rest on lax biceps. "Yes, what?"

"I have no idea."

Remus laughed once more and removed himself from Sirius's person. He stepped backwards and turned to leave.

"Wait! Will I, uh, see you again?"

"Maybe sooner than you think, Golden boy."

Sirius waved at the retreating, rotating hips, "Bye."

/page break/

Sirius had managed to stand in the same spot for twenty minutes before realizing he held the proof for yet another trial, mind it was a very small trial, but still a trial. He had in his hands the rather lovely cloak that the dwarf had managed to yank off of Remus. It hadn't been there earlier, maybe Remus had given it to him?

"Nah." Sirius strode out of the forest and back to the village he was currently inhabiting.

He never saw Remus peer around the trunk of a rather large oak tree. How that man had ever become a knight was beyond him. The stupid idiot was a complete moron! He was kind of sweet though, in a big, stupid lug way. Remus had only had a man fall all over himself to be next to Remus once and that had ended in disaster. It was nice, though.

"Remus? What did I tell you would happen if you didn't get the Mountain Dwarf?"

Remus shivered as the slimy voice slithered over his ears, "It wasn't my fault all right. King Jimmy sent another knight out. How was I supposed to know that he'd jump in?"

"That doesn't matter, Remus, you know that. Failure is not permitted and I'd hate to see you toil away in the dungeon."

"Fuck off, Snape!"

"Now, Remus, be pleasant. You know our Lord doesn't permit such foul language. Besides it's unbecoming of you."

"I'm hardly a dainty lady."

"Maybe not, but I know several people who would claim different. I can only protect you for so long, Remus. Do not fail me again!"

Remus shivered once more as, with a brush of his hand, Snape disappeared. He hated that uninspiring creep. He stepped back into the shade of the oak and seemed to melt away.

/page break/

Sirius traipsed his way to the next town, hoping to put his eleventh trial away soon. These trials were beginning to get on his nerves. He was contemplating saving his last trial to remove James from everybody else's misery. But no, that would leave Harry without a father and he didn't feel like depriving anyone else of the things he didn't have. Besides, Harry was far to adorable, Sirius didn't want to make him cry.

The sudden screams of terror brought Sirius out of his musings and he urged Shadow into a canter. He reached the village in time to see a giant humanoid bat swoop down and grab several people, slinging blood everywhere. It gave a death defying screech and Sirius covered his ears, cringing.

Why him, he mused, why did he get all the nasty monsters. Sirius and Shadow leapt over a bale of overturned hay and galloped into battle. There was another screech and suddenly Sirius was against a second floor wall and Shadow was galloping off to safety.

Sirius drew his sword, the world busy spinning around him, and charged towards the marauding beast. A very familiar yell and head of hair caused him to stop in shock. It was Remus! The very same Remus whom he hadn't seen in over two months! Sirius resolved himself and finished his charge in with a battle cry. He saw out of the corner of his eye, Remus trying to stifle a laugh. It made Sirius feel warm that even in such a perilous time he could make such a gorgeous smile come across the lovely face.

Sirius defeated the bat like creature in record time and wandered amongst the relieved villagers to where Remus sat, perched on another bale of hay. He had been tossed there by the devilish creature and Sirius could only pray that he was all right.

"Hello, Golden boy. How fare you?"

"Well, you?"

Remus glanced around himself and gave a tight shrug, "I've been worse."

Sirius grinned and pulled himself up next to Remus, the male sliding out of the way, "Good. I'd hate for you to be hurt."

Remus smiled and gave one of Sirius's bloodied hands a pat. Sirius looked out at the villagers who were busy putting things to rights.

"What were you doing here?" asked Sirius. Remus grimaced and glanced away.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing, really. It's not important."

"It is to me." Remus looked at him in shock. Sirius gave a sheepish grin and fiddled with a torn sleeve.

"It's just…medication. Don't worry about it. I don't want you to strain yourself."

"Medication? Are you sick?"

Remus sighed and slid off the hay, "Sort of. Really, don't worry about it, Golden boy. It isn't something you can fix with a wave of your sword."

"How about a kiss?" Sirius nearly smacked himself, how incredibly stupid was he?

"Pardon?"

"A kiss," Sirius started, "You know how the story goes. A damsel is awakened by a kiss. Probably the same basic principles."

Remus gave a snort, then a giggle, and then full blown laughter. Sirius tried not to be too offended, it didn't work very well. Remus kneeled on the ground, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach he was laughing so hard. Sirius tapped his foot and willed himself to disappear.

"I'm glad you find this funny. I was being quite serious, you realize."

"Of course you were being Sirius, who else would you be?" Remus roared with laughter once more.

Sirius gave a huff and turned to leave, he was not going to stand here and take this ego beating any longer. A hand on his shoulder made him turn. A quick kiss was pressed to his lips and Remus's angelic smile came floating into view.

"You know, it's actually true love's first kiss that woke those broads, but we won't tell, will we?"

Sirius shook his head frantically, squeezing the hand in his. That had totally made his day.

"Can I drop you off anywhere?"

Remus replied with a smile, "No. I'm fine. Better get back to your quest. Here, you might need this."

Remus plopped a large and bloody wing into his hands, before leaving. Sirius stared in absolute disgust at the thing that lay in his hands. Now he would have to wash twice!

A/N: Finis!


	3. Midnight

Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies! Anything you recognize from other sources is not mine!

To my beta, may she keep me sane and posting forever.

Ever, Ever After: Midnight

"_Whenever you stroll along with me, I'm merely contemplating what you feel inside." _

Sirius smiled and danced along to the music, Sir Frey de Murcurie was brilliant. He really knew how to combine beat, lyrics, and theatrics into a brilliant performance. Although, why he was performing for a five-year-old's birthday party was beyond him.

"_Meanwhile I ask you to be my Clementine! You say you will if you could but you can't!" _

Sirius moved further into the room, looking for the birthday boy. Sirius had only just returned to Gryffindor, surprisingly in time for Harry's fifth birthday. It seemed like all of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw's royalty was crushed into the large ballroom of Godric's Hollow.

"_I love you madly. Let my imagination run away with you gladly. A brand new angle - highly commendable!" _

Sirius only wished that he weren't so damned lonely in this vast room. It seemed as though everyone had managed to pair off, except for him. Hell, even Harry had managed to find someone to dance with. Mind, Ginny Weasley hardly constituted as dating material; she was a little low on the food chain for a prince. It was sad too, Sirius had met the Weasley's and while he adored Weasley senior and the children, he could not abide Lady Molly. Nosy, overbearing, hen!

Sirius adjusted the black mask that covered half of his face. Why Lily had chosen to host a masque for Harry's birthday was an oddity, what five-year-old wanted a masque? Of course, it was better than the non-existent parties his mother had thrown him and his brother. A rustle of cloth next to one of the pillars caught his attention. Who would be hiding behind a pillar?

"_Seaside rendezvous!" _

Sirius felt his breath catch. There, in resplendent robes of dark gold and auburn, was Remus. He had a gold half mask across his face, covered in red and gold sequins, and shaped in the form of a wolf's snout. The robes dripped down his lithe body and fell onto the floor dragging behind him as he moved. The cream overcoat was also covered in sequins and beading. It was a lovely sight, especially for Sirius. He was only a tiny bit smitten with the young man.

Sirius stumbled toward his angelic vision, knowing that a fool's smile was splitting his face in two. He didn't care; all he wanted to do was reach Remus.

"Remus…"

"Hey, haven't seen you in awhile." Remus smiled and rested his head against the red velvet wrapped marble column.

"I know. I missed you."

"You missed me? How can you possibly have missed me? You barely know me."

Sirius stepped up to the other man, making sure that Remus had to look up at him. Remus looked as though he did not like being backed into the corner very much, so Sirius backed up a bit. It wouldn't do to make Remus run away from him when he had just gotten here.

"I did. I swear it."

"I always knew you were a bit odd, but this really takes the cake."

"No cake. Although there are so really great tarts over there." Sirius smiled as Remus snorted indelicately.

"Oh, lord."

"Dance with me?" Remus looked at Sirius as though he had proposed pig wrestling.

"What?"

"Dance with me. Please?" Remus sighed and held out a long boned hand, silently consenting to the madness. Sirius pulled Remus onto the floor, where a slow waltz had just started up. Remus looked very uncomfortable, but it could have been all the people looking at him, rather than Sirius standing so close.

"What do you look so nervous for? There's nothing wrong."

"Its just…there are so many people. I get nervous."

"That's okay, we'll go outside after this dance and you don't have to see anyone."

"So, you're presuming that I came here for you?"

"Of, course."

"You're rather arrogant."

"It's one of my many charms."

Remus smiled softly, "I'm sure."

Sirius twirled Remus once more before settling the young man against him. "Want to go outside now?"

"Yeah." Remus breathed, trying not to fall into Sirius's bottomless eyes. He would never return if he got caught in their mysterious gaze.

/page break/

Remus started as the bell began to toll midnight. He shot up from his spot within Sirius's embrace. The spot that he had reluctantly placed himself in two hours ago and didn't bother to move from it.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go…now."

"But…"

"No. I have to go, you don't understand. If I don't leave I'll…I can't tell you. Let me go." Sirius had latched on to one of Remus's thin wrists and wouldn't let go. Sirius debated for a moment before decided that whatever was scaring Remus was more important than his happiness.

"Why do you have to go?"

"I'll explain later." Remus hoped so at least. He ran down the stairs, tripping on the second to last one and rolling to his feet. He ran towards the gates of the castle, hoping that he made it to the forest before the Change began. He didn't notice that his mask had fallen off and lay on the last step.

Remus ran faster and faster, hearing the bell toll in the distance was the most frightening thing he had ever heard. As the Change began to overtake him he crashed into the brush of the dark forest. With a sigh of relief Remus let the horrible disfiguration take control.

/page break/

Sirius bent down where the rain had started to 'plip' onto the delicate mask. A raindrop slid down the bridge of the nose, making it look as though the mask was crying. It was a very sad thought. Sirius felt like crying himself. The way Remus had taken off, as though the hounds of Hell were after him, had scared Sirius more than he cared to admit. He had fallen in love with Remus and didn't want to lose him. Seeing Remus so scared had driven something deep into Sirius's heart.

Sirius picked up the mask and cradled it against his chest; it was still warm.

/page break/

"You want to what?"

"I'm going after him."

"You're being ridiculous."

"I think it's romantic."

"Yeah!"

Sirius smiled at Lily and Harry, who seemed to be the only people to agree with him finding Remus. James was not happy and neither was Dumbledore, which was very odd.

"You can't stop me, Your Majesty."

"Sure I can."

"Oh, Daddy. Let him go! Sirius, I give you my permission."

Sirius bent down and twirled Harry up into the air, "Such a little prince. Giving knights orders already?"

"You bet!" Harry giggled, spreading his arms out so that he could pretend to be flying. Sirius laughed and pulled Harry down to him, giving him a solid kiss on the cheek.

"Well, you heard the prince, James. I guess I'm going whether you like it or not."

"Fine! Fine! Go, what do I care?"

Sirius placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder, "I'll be back. I promise. I need to find him, James. I can't live without him. It's like you trying to live without Lily, it's not happening."

James heaved a sigh and nodded, "Fine."

Sirius shook his friend softly, gave Lily a kiss, and Harry a hug. He left the three people who meant more to him than anything standing in the throne room; one sad, one happy, and one pleased beyond belief that _somebody_ was listening to him.

/page break/

"And so Sirius set out to find his one true love. Traveling far and wide to the one place he knew would hold the answers: Slytherin."

A/N: Wow, I'm being productive.


	4. Treachery

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Ever, Ever After: Treachery

"And so the ever so brave knight, Sirius, set off to find his one true love. He traveled to the distant land of Slytherin, his home country. He didn't know what he would find there, after all, he had left for a very good reason."

"Stupid wench…"

"I'm getting to that if you'd be quiet."

"Fine."

/page break/

Sirius moved quietly through the dark foliage, not wanting to wake anything up. There were more dangerous beings in this forest than the entire Gryffindor kingdom. Sirius had wanted to turn back many times, but the thought of Remus made him keep going. He wanted to know what had scared Remus so bad. Sirius knew that the root of the deep fear rested within his old residence. Not many people knew it, but he had been in line for the throne. Number twenty-five wasn't a bad number to be when royalty was murdered just for breathing wrong.

He came upon the front gates just as they were closing behind some traders. He slipped in behind them; he didn't want the word to get out that he was here. That wouldn't bode well for anyone, much less Sirius. He traversed the black cobbled stone that lined the thin and dingy streets. He preferred the large, open, and bright streets of Gryffindor to this any day.

"Have you heard? The pet is back at the castle."

"Wonder what he found."

"Couldn't have been that great. I heard he's been in the dungeons being flogged all morning."

"It doesn't do well to upset the Master, does it?" Sirius cringed as the two men cackled dryly. That didn't sound good at all. He wondered what type of pet it was and what it was supposed to find out.

"No it doesn't. Mind you, the pet hasn't always been the brightest of all beings. Stupid mutt."

"You would do well, I fear, to not speak about things you know nothing about." Sirius sucked in a breath and pulled the hood of his Cloak of Invisibility closer. Severus Snape watched coolly as the two men scampered off, muttering their apologies over and over.

The man glanced around and strode back the way he came. Sirius saw that he was going back to the castle and hurried to catch up. Maybe he could get some information from the slimy snit.

As they passed through the many passages of the castle, Sirius grew more and more worried. What would happen if he couldn't get back out? He wouldn't be able to find Remus.

Snape pushed open the door that led down to the dungeons. What was he going down there for? Sirius paused as he heard loud growling and snarling noises. Was there really some sort of pet down there?

The snarling noises got louder as they approached the inner dungeons. The sounds were almost inhuman. It was horrible to hear, really. Sirius peered around the corner slowly, not wanting to jostle his cloak. He bit back a gasp as his brain registered what he was seeing.

There was a huge snarling, drooling, screaming wolf tied up by dozens of silver chains. It was struggling to get away from its tormenters. It didn't seem to like Snape much either. It lunged toward the man, foaming at the mouth.

"Didn't I warn you about what would happen if you failed? But no, you just had to disobey." Sirius was fascinated to find that the wolf silenced, as though the beast understood what Snape was saying.

"You're so stupid. It was a simple task. Infiltrate the party. Get the little brat to trust you, scoop him up, and get out of there. Not that terribly hard. Pettigrew could've managed it! But no, you had to go and get distracted."

The wolf seemed to be trying to shrink into the stone before him. It seemed ashamed almost. The animal seemed to be almost human-like. Sirius had never seen anything like it.

"You just had to go and run into that stupid oaf! I thought you said he didn't mean anything, I thought you said that he was dumber than dumb; I thought that I could trust you with this. But I guess I was wrong. Gods, Remus, I thought we had something."

Remus? Remus was here? Sirius looked around, but didn't see the lovely brunet. Snape was still talking to the wolf in front of him. Sirius watched as Snape signaled to someone and the whips were taken away.

Behind the jailers the sun rose with an astounding clarity. Sirius didn't know you could get direct sunlight like this in a dungeon. There was a horrible snarling noise and Sirius's eyes were dragged back to the poor animal, which was now writhing even though nothing was touching it.

Sirius watched in growing horror as the snarling beast transformed painfully back into his beautiful Remus. This could not be happening, thought Sirius, not his Remus!

"Screw you, Severus." Remus gasped out as he hung against the chains that were wrapped around his thin body. Sirius turned and ran up the stairs, he didn't want to see any more. It was too painful. It all made sense now; why Remus had been talking with that dwarf, why he had been at Harry's birthday party, why he had seemed so interested in Sirius.

But wait, Sirius was a knight and knights saved people. Should he save Remus? It was rather obvious that the man didn't really want to be there. Then again, he was probably used to it by now. Sirius winced, that hadn't helped any, imagining that his poor Remus was used to being beaten.

Sirius meandered into the hallway, not noticing that there was a person there until he ran into them. Stiff hands wrapped around his upper arms, pinning him. Sirius struggled as he realized his mistake, in his haste the cloak had fallen off. He had stepped into the hall in full view.

Sirius looked down at the hands that held him and stared. He knew those fingers and he knew that ring. He was in so much trouble. Orion Black grinned nastily and whispered a malicious, "Hello, son."

/page break/

Sirius banged his head firmly against the stone in front of him. On the other side of the bars Remus winced each time. Sirius didn't care; it was Remus's fault he was in here in the first place. If he hadn't appeared before him and looked so appealing, Sirius wouldn't have been tempted to go after him.

The door slammed open and two burly guards bundled into the tiny cell with Sirius, "Come with us."

"Whatever."

"Sirius! Don't do anything stupid!" Sirius glared at Remus.

"It's too late for that, isn't it?" He felt a moment of satisfaction, and then pain, as Remus's face contorted into a hurt expression. Sirius felt himself being drug towards the stairs. He climbed them miserably.

Lord Voldemort wasn't nearly as imposing as people made him out to be. He was a skinny, bald, ugly man and Sirius was sure he knew it. Voldemort dressed himself so finely and ruled with such an iron fist that Sirius knew what the Lord thought of himself.

"So, Sirius has seen fit to return to us, as a spy. Very disappointing. Your brother was a much better fit, although that ended in disaster as well. Your sons are rather disappointing, Orion."

"I'm sorry, my King."

Sirius nearly hurled as he watched his father bend to this madman's will. It was disgusting really. He spared a glance around the hall and his eyes were caught on a little blonde in the corner. The poor thing was clearly scared to death. His grey eyes were wide and his little fists were clenched into Lucius Malfoy's robes. His son, then. Sirius hadn't even known Lucius had gotten married, much less have a child the same age as Harry. The boy noticed Sirius looking at him and buried his face into his father's knees. Sirius gave a little grin, for such a chicken, he was awful cute. His Harry was far braver.

"You shall be punished, you realize. There is no room for me to make exceptions. I think I'll put you with my little pet for now; you seem to know each other already. I'm sure he'll like that. He gets lonely sometimes and I know I don't pay nearly enough attention to him. He'll enjoy the company, while it lasts."

Sirius felt like killing the man before him, Remus was nobody's pet. He vaguely felt himself being returned to a cell. He sat silently, fuming, not even noticing when smaller hands brushed over his hair.

/page break/

He could feel hands running through his hair, it felt nice. No one had ever played with his hair like this, not even when he was little. Sirius leant into the warmth and sighed. The body connected to the hands stilled and then started once more.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed out of it? You would have been so much better off without me." Remus spoke quietly, gently petting the silky locks underneath his hands. His body still hurt from the beating it had taken earlier, but he was used to it by now.

"How?"

"How, what?"

"How did you come to be here?" Sirius ran a hand up Remus's arm, it was almost involuntary but Sirius didn't feel as though he could leave Remus alone.

Remus sighed, but began his story "I was six when my parents were killed. I didn't really understand what had happened, but I was taken here, to work off my parents' debts. I was supposed to be a kitchen worker. Tom Riddle, the man you know as Lord Voldemort, saw me and took an interest. A rather unhealthy interest, might I add."

Sirius's head shot up. Remus couldn't be saying what Sirius thought he was saying, could he? Remus smiled softly and shook his head at Sirius's shocked look.

"It's not what you're thinking. He decided to experiment on me instead. Sort of a human genome project if you will. He's got a very sick mind. He started playing with the way my body grew and I ended up morphing into something completely different than what he expected."

"The wolf."

"Yes. Well you can imagine what happened after he found out what had gone on."

Remus talked long into the night, telling Sirius all about what had happened to him as a child and how Lord Voldemort had come into power. It was a terrible thing to listen to, but Sirius sat quietly, only interrupting when he thought it was absolutely necessary.

They fell asleep wrapped in the others arms, wondering what would happen to them and if they would ever make it out all right. It hadn't even occurred to Sirius to try and find a way to contact King James. He knew that James wouldn't think twice about leaving Remus behind. James wasn't cruel but he didn't think beyond the proverbial box, it wouldn't occur to him until it was too late. James was a bit dim like that. Sirius could only hope that Lily raised Harry to be less of a ditz.

A/N: Done now. A lot shorter than I wanted, but there you go.


	5. True

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Ever, Ever After: True

"It took many days and many nights, but Sirius was finally able to get Remus and himself out of the horrid cell."

"How?"

"He filed a bone and used it to pick the lock, duh!"

"Gee, how could I have not have known that?"

"Oh, shut up and let me finish."

/page break/

"We'll have to be quiet to get out of here alright." Sirius crept along the wall, pulling Remus with him. He peered around the corner, whipping back when he caught sight of three dark knights coming towards them. Sirius pushed Remus back the way they came, ducking into a small crevice so as to avoid the men.

The two bruised men made their way to the front of the castle, not wanting to spend any more time in the dreary palace. What they didn't notice was the small bat that was winging its way towards them. It hovered over them for a moment, listening, and then flew off toward the main throne room. Sirius and Remus crept closer to the front gates; they knew if they got past the gates they would be home free.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done playing with you." Remus cringed as he heard the scratchy voice; he knew this had been a bad idea.

Voldemort smiled nastily as the Death Eaters formed a circle around the two escapees, "I can't imagine why you would think this was a good choice. It would have been better for you to die in my chambers. Less painful for you, Sir knight. My pet, of course, would have been tortured anyways, but he already knew that. Besides, he's done very well, a special treat is in order."

"What are you talking about, you homicidal maniac?" Sirius figured that scoffing wouldn't be to bad a choice, it wasn't as though he'd get out of here unharmed.

"Didn't you figure it out? Oh, poor little boy! Severus told me you were terribly stupid, but I didn't expect this."

"Are you going to explain yourself or what?" Remus backed away quietly as Sirius verbally sparred with the Lord. He knew this would not end well for himself.

"Your little Remmie-poo has been working for me. This was all one big set up for me to gain control of the Gryffindor crown."

Sirius felt the blood drain out of his face, "You're lying! That isn't true…it couldn't…tell them, Remus!"

Remus shrugged his shoulders helplessly, "I can't, Sirius."

"Why not?" Sirius didn't want to hear this, why wasn't Remus denying everything this madman spoke?

"Because it's true. I was working for him, but I didn't want to! Everything I told you yesterday was…"

"A lie."

"No, it wasn't! That was true!" Sirius turned away from Remus, feeling his heart break into a thousand pieces.

"Aw, so sad, the lovers have had a spat. Oh well, time to die!" Voldemort drove his drawn sword towards Sirius. Sirius moved out of the way, grabbed Remus's arm and ran towards the gates. It was the first time he had ever run from a fight, but he just didn't feel as though he could do battle.

/page break/

They somehow made it to the forest, Remus was of the opinion that Voldemort let them go; it had been too easy. He knew that the Lord would be back for them soon enough, Remus just hoped it would be after Sirius knew the truth.

The way Sirius was walking away from him clued Remus into the fact that Sirius didn't care about the truth.

"Sirius! Please just let me explain!"

"Explain what? There's nothing to tell. You lied to me."

"Sirius…"

"Just tell me one thing; did you ever care for me at all?" Sirius turned to stare at the man who had just broken his heart.

"Yes. I do care, Sirius. Just let me…"

"No. I'm through being lied to. I'm going home."

"What about me?"

"Go back to Moldy-warts for all I care. Just leave me alone." Sirius was too busy mourning his heart to see Remus fall to his knees behind him. He didn't see the way Remus cried and he most certainly didn't see the way Remus's already fragile heart shattered.

/page break/

Sirius made it back to Gryffindor in record time. He didn't speak as Lily met him at the gate. He walked pass the now six-year-old Harry, who was eagerly awaiting the tale.

"Siri! Siri! What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Harry."

Harry's face fell, "What do you mean? What happened to defeating evils and facing perils all in the name of true love?"

"Harry, you'll learn many things as you grow but learn this now; true love is for fools."

Sirius continued forward, leaving a sad and confused godson behind. Sirius couldn't have realized how much Harry wanted to believe in True Love. He couldn't have known that in the last few months he had broken more than one heart.

The days passed and life got back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be in the life of a brokenhearted man. Sirius was busy polishing his armor when an irate Queen Lily came storming through the Armory doors.

"Sirius Black! You get your ass back in that castle and tell my baby you didn't mean what you said!"

"Huh?" Sirius stared blankly at the woman, not comprehending what the problem was. What was she making him apologize for?

"You get in there and tell Harry that what you said was rubbish."

"What was rubbish?"

"The whole true love spiel!"

"That isn't rubbish, Lily." Sirius was shocked when he felt Lily's hand connect with his face. The gentle queen had never hit anybody before.

"If you don't tell him, then I will find someone else to be his godfather. Someone who won't break his little heart with one sentence and then not care!"

"Lily…" She was gone. Lily marched back to her baby's room as fast as she could. Harry hadn't been eating lately and she wasn't about to let his godfather torment him like this. She would find someone better to tell the tale of True Love.

/page break/

The sound of laughter from Harry's room brought Sirius's attention back to him abruptly. Harry hadn't laughed in over three months. The little boy had apparently held quite a bit in Sirius's tale, only to not receive it.

Sirius tapped on the door lightly. Lily opened it slowly, "Oh, Sirius. You're just in time."

"In time for what?"

"To meet Harry's new tutor. He's very lovely, although completely misunderstood by malicious prats. I think you'll like him." Sirius stepped into the room and moved towards the sitting area where the laughter was emanating from.

He stood in complete shock at what he saw. Harry was rolling around on the ground, laughing hysterically. An open book of fairytales was on the floor in front of him and a very animated looking Remus was waving his arms about at saying something about trolls and tolls.

"What?"

"Don't you dare say anything, Black. You don't know a thing about him."

"I know plenty!"

"You wish you did. Remus told me everything, Sirius. He told me what you did to him. Do you know what happened after you left him?"

"No. And I don't…"

"Care, yes, I know. He was captured and tortured. He got out by killing his jailors. He was almost killed himself. He got out and came to find you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Sirius stared sadly at the beautiful man in front of him. He had never seen Remus smile like that. Remus's face was so open and bright; you could barely see the scars that were splattered across him like ink stains.

"Remus."

Sirius saw how much he had hurt the other man when Remus turned to face him. His face closed off and became shadowed, "Yes?"

"Can I…talk to you?"

"Why? So you can accuse me of lying again?"

"No, just to talk."

"Go with him." Harry pushed against Remus, who stood to get rid of the onslaught.

"Why?"

"Because! True Love has to prevail…against…all…odds…duh!" Harry leant against Remus's knees, trying to get the man to move.

Remus smiled down at the little prince and took a step forward; Harry fell to the floor. The boy quickly scrambled up, grabbed Remus and Sirius's hands and pulled them toward the door.

"Go already! Come on…."

"Do you think we should humor him?"

Remus gave a small smile, "It would probably be for the best."

"Yes! For the best….go on!" Harry gave one last tug before huffing and going to pout in his mother's lap, "Mummy, make them go!"

The two men laughed and left the room before the prince threw a temper tantrum to rival a volcano. They wandered out into the expansive gardens and looked at the plants.

"I'm sorry for not believing you. I'm a bastard."

"Yes, I had realized that."

"So I was wrong! What was I supposed to think?"

"You could have trusted that I would tell you the truth! What did you think I was doing down in those dungeons, waxing philosophical? Writing sonnets?"

Sirius winced, "Yeah…um…sorry?"

"Is that all you can say, you stupid bastard?"

"Um, I'm sorry?"

Remus threw his hands up in the air and huffed, "So insufferable."

"I'm sorry!" Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus.

"Stop that."

"I'm sorry!" Sirius leant his head against Remus's own.

"Quit it!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm…" Sirius was silent as Remus hit him harshly.

"Stupid, stupid bastard. Doing such naughty things to me and then acting pathetic to get what you want. Who raised you?" Remus murmured.

"Walburga Black."

"That explains it." Remus laughed and looked into the grey eyes that held him captive. Sirius bent his head and looked into Remus's eyes.

"Could you two be any slower?! Kiss him already! Come on!" Sirius closed his eyes, exasperated, and laughed. Remus raised his eyes to the sky and groaned amusedly. Harry was so annoying sometimes!

"Get on with it already! I'm waiting!"

Sirius glanced at Remus, a grin on his face.

"Hello! I want to see True Love's Kiss! Sometime before I'm twenty would be nice!"

Remus chuckled and stepped closer to Sirius, "Should we humor him?"

Sirius grinned and put his hands on Remus's waist, "It would probably be for the best."

Harry's 'whoo-hoo's' of joy could be heard throughout the grounds as Sirius kissed Remus again and again and again.

/page break/

"And they both lived happily ever after. How was that? Do I tell a better story?" Sirius asked.

"He's six months old, Paddy. Try again when he's older." Remus picked Harry up off the blanket. The baby gurgled and wrapped a chubby fist around Remus's sweater.

"He's old enough to understand? Aren't you? Yes, you are." Harry burbled happily and waved a fist between the two.

"I'm sure he understands that you're a nutcase."

"Hey, I may be nuts but I tell pretty good stories."

Remus hummed noncommittally and stood as the Floo flared to life. James and Lily gathered their baby and left the two to their own devices.

They climbed into bed after a quick dinner of takeaway curry. Sirius smiled as his lover leaned over him, "So they lived happily ever after, did they?"

"Of course."

"Would the brave knight be so kind as to show me how happily?"

"Definitely."

And so the brave knight and the misunderstood werewolf lived happily ever after.

THE END!

A/N: And there's the end! I hope you liked it.

READ ME! I'm thinking about starting a livejournal community and it would deal with Remus and Sirius, obviously. If you're interested in seeing this done review me or send me a private message and let me know! Thanks!

/Beta Message/

Okay. This is Vikertee, TrendyFishie89's beta. First of all, that was lovely, was it not? I'm so pleased with it. See, I can't remember why, but for some reason, she decided to write a story for me. And asked for prompts. And all I could think of was Remus/Sirius (but that goes without saying), a happy ending (also pretty obvious. Although not always, with me), and princes. Long story why, so I'm not going to go into it now (although if anyone's wondering, read her other stories, Becoming Moony and Something Sweet. It's all explained in some of my reviews on there. No, it's definitely on Becoming Moony. But you should read Something Sweet as well). And this is the result. Isn't it marvelous?

Secondly, isn't that little Harry just the cutest thing ever? Lovely. Very well done.

And lastly (also kind of obviously), I'm going to beg you to review for her. Pretty please??


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